1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to image processing apparatus and method.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, as an image output system, there has been known an image output system comprising a host computer and a printer connected thereto through an interface (for example, Centronics interface or the like), wherein output information that is inputted from the host is analyzed on the printer side, bit map data is developed as output data of a printer engine, for instance, a laser beam printer, a laser beam modulated on the basis of the developed data is scanned and exposed to a photosensitive drum, and an image is recorded.
When the printer has an emulation function, the system is configured so that a plurality of printer control language systems can be processed, and a printing process can be executed while switching an emulation mode and a native mode in accordance with an application which is executed by the user. A switch to switch the control languages of the printer and a card slot to instruct the switching are previously provided for the printer.
Hitherto, a color process in the printer having such a function has been fixed. Therefore, the fixed color process is performed to objects having different contents.
Although there is also a printer having a plurality of color processes, the color processes can be switched and used only on a job unit basis. Therefore, one kind of color process which was set for an image in which a plurality of different objects exist is executed.
In addition, a gray cannot be guaranteed in an output color for an input gray color signal included in an input image without switching the color processes.
The above conventional image output system has the following problems.
Since the color process has been fixed, adaptation or inadaptation occurs in dependence on the object.
Since a gray processing method for an input gray in such single means cannot be designated, a color deviation occurs in a portion where the user expects an output in gray.
The invention is made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the first invention to realize reconstruction of an achromatic color in a formed image according to a demand of the user.
To accomplish the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an image processing method having a mode for performing a color process so that an image is formed in almost black monochromatic color when an input color is an achromatic color, comprising the steps of: forming mode setting information indicating whether the mode is applied or not on the basis of a manual instruction for each of a plurality of different kinds of objects; inputting object information indicative of the object constructing an input image; discriminating the kind of object on the basis of the object information; and performing the color process to the object information on the basis of the mode setting information and the kind of object.
It is an object of the second invention to enable a gray compensation to be performed on the basis of the kind of object and to enable an output image of a high quality to be obtained.
To accomplish the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an image processing method comprising the steps of: setting a gray compensating process every kind of object; performing a first color process corresponding to the kind of object of input image data on the basis of the setting; performing a second color process corresponding to the kind of object of the image data subjected to the first color process on the basis of the setting; and performing the gray compensation by controlling the first and second color processes on the basis of the setting in an interlocking manner.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.